Prattville man enters plea in murder case

PRATTVILLE – A Prattville man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of his roommate.

Joseph L. Nolin, 23, entered the plea Wednesday morning before Circuit Judge John Bush. Nolin shot and killed his roommate, Robert K. Nichols, the afternoon of Dec. 12, 2013, at the home in the 100 block of Morris Circle.

Bush will sentence Nolin on Sept. 23. Manslaughter is a Class B felony. Since a deadly weapon or instrument was used in the crime, the minimum sentence will be 10 years, with a maximum of 20 years, Bush told Nolin before he accepted the plea.

Nolin stood before Bush in handcuffs, dressed in orange jail garb.

"Is it your intention to enter a plea of guilt to manslaughter in the case?" Bush asked.

"Yes sir, certainly," Nolin answered, nodding his head in affirmation.

The manslaughter plea is appropriate, said Heath Dixon, Nolin's attorney.

"There is an element of recklessness in the manslaughter statute," she said. "Joseph admitted to acting recklessly that day. We would have expected testimony at trial to show that he and Mr. Nichols were handing the gun back and forth and the gun fired accidentally. Joseph never meant to harm Mr. Nichols."

There was a bit of courtroom drama before Bush accepted the guilty plea. Court records show Nolin was indicted on both murder and manslaughter charges. When Bush told Dixon that Nolin had every right to plead guilty to any charge facing him, the district attorney's office became concerned.

Assistant District Attorney Brandon Bates filed a motion seeking the dismissal of the manslaughter charge, a move Bush denied.

District Attorney Randall Houston said his office didn't want a plea to the manslaughter charge.

"We feel the facts support a murder charge," he said. "The grand jury came back with murder and the lesser included manslaughter indictments. We disagree with Judge Bush's ruling, and we may appeal his decision."

Nolin remained in the Autauga Metro Jail on Wednesday afternoon under a bond of $150,000, jail records show. He has been in jail since his arrest.

Nolin became a bit of a courthouse celebrity following his first court appearance before Autauga District Judge Joy Booth.

Nolin told Booth he used marijuana daily and compared his habit to other people drinking coffee in the morning to get started.

Booth raised Nolin's bond from $75,000 to $150,000 following their exchange.

In another murder case, John L. Woods III's plea appearance was continued pending a mental evaluation, court records show. Woods, 35, is charged in the March 8 stabbing death of his father, John Woods Jr., 64.

Woods' attorney, Brett Jackson Harrison, did not return phone calls to his office seeking comment for this story.

Autopsy reports show the elder Woods received more than 30 stab wounds in the incident that occurred inside the home the two men shared in the 900 block of Autauga County 1 in the Statesville community.

Woods remained in the jail Wednesday afternoon under a bond of $150,000, jail records showed. He has been in jail since his arrest.